Break Me
by drizzt1031
Summary: A short vacation turned into a terrifying experience. She fell behind and was for seven days at Mac's mercy. I warn ya now: I tend to partake of the smutt. This will be no exception.
1. Chapter 1

**AN**Well this is my second ditty. Other than my Saints story. I hope I can do justice to the story. Please read and review. Thank you much. And as far as a disclaimer goes: I don't own the movie or the lovely Norman reedus though Lord knows I wish I did...

"For fuck's sake, Sheriff!" Mark shouted grabbing the pudgy man by the collar and shaking him until his teeth rattled. "It's been a week already! Do you understand?! Seven whole fuckin days!"

Sheriff Pratt calmly grasped the shaking hands of the younger man and plucked them from his clothing.

"Son," he said calmly, pointing a thick digit at Mark's chest, " I have been at this job for 17 years. I understand the frustration. I really do, but throttling one of the few law men in town is not the thing to do."

Mark slumped in a chair that sat before the desk. The fight drained from his body, pulling with it all the energy he had left. He hadn't slept for days, and it wore heavily on his face. His handsome features sagging under stress. Succumbing to his own self loathing, he dropped his head into his hands.

"We're doing all we can," Pratt said as sympathetically as possible. Painful squeaky leaked from behind Mark's fingers. He rocked himself back and forth, his jerky motions tossing about his short light brown mohawk.

"You don't understand," he gasped, still behind a wall of his fingers. "I just left her there! Hoe could I have left her there?"

Soft hands cupped the sides of his face, half covering his own fingers. He pulled his fingers from his eyes, tears spilling from their corners. A young woman stood before him, bent slightly at the waist. Her short brown hair curled around her face, framing a pair of soft brown eyes and a wide mouth.

"She told us to go, baby," her voice was soothing but firm in it's conviction. "She did it to save our lives."

Mark fell forward, tucking his head into the crook of her neck. Against the warmth of her skin and steady beat of her heart, he let loose the sobs he'd tried do hard to bind. Sobs of a breaking heart. Whimper of a fearful helplessness. His dear friend had been left behind. His once time lover sacrificed herself, so that he and his girlfriend could make a break for it. Mark clung to Ava, the last memory of his beloved friend flashing in his mind.

_"No, no, no! Kari are you fuckin crazy?! There's two of them! And..."_

"And shut the hell up," Kari whispered angrily. She pointed the bloody hunting knife at Mark's nose. "You are wasting time. I can run faster than either of you. Get your asses on the mother fuckin bike and go get help!" Mark looked desperately at the grim resolve in her eyes. Her short blue-black hair stuck to patches of sticky blood that splattered her pale face. He couldn't change her mind. He knew that. Once her difficultly practical logic started, there was no reasoning with her. His leg throbbed with every beat of his speeding heart. The bullet had ripped clean through his calf muscle. Ava hung from his side, drifting in and out of consciousness. Blood was oozing from a gash at the side of her head. Kari was right, of course. Too many zombie movies had sent her into a cardio frenzy. She could leave them in the dust. There was only the one dirt bike laying ib the dust. Sometimes math just sucked. It was a cruel truth Mark didn't want to admit.

_"I'm not gonna die," Kari whispered, her voice crackling on that ominous word. "I've still got shit to do." A half-smile broke along her dry lips. Mark nodded finally, and dragged Ava to the bike. With Kari's help, he managed to set himself on the bike, and tuck the petite woman in his arms._

_"I'll be back soon," he croaked. Kari nodded at him, her arms shaking at her sides. As he took off down through the canyons, his heart slammed into his throat._

Please God, don't let that be the last thing I say to her.

Ava smoothed back Mark's hair, while he poured his tearful agony into her neck. The rapid popping of footsteps curved the corner.

"Sheriff?" Pratt turned to face the newcomer in the hall.

"Yea, Harley," he asked, sipping a cup of coffee.

"We found her."

Sheriff Pratt's car roared down the dirt road, sirens wailing through the evening air. Mark sat anxiously popping his knuckles in the passenger seat. His lips moved in a repeated silent whisper.

_Please. Please. Please._

Pratt pulled the car to a stop next to a rundown looking house. A couple of cars were already parked around the house. Mark yanked the door handle tumbling out of the car. He crashed into the dust piled up at the base of a wire fence. Pushing up from his sprawled state, he came face to face with a snarling toothy grin. A huge black dog snapped viciously front behind the increasingly fragile looking fence. Mark scrambled away from the lunging beast of a critter.

"Fuck," he gasped, surging to his feet and dusting himself off. As he turned he noticed a man sitting in the back if one of the cop cars. He couldn't quite make out the man's features other than dark messy hair and a somewhat slender face. Although mostly in shadow, he knew the man's stare was drilling into the house.

Mark rushed to the front door, the sheriff hard on his heels. A deputy was holding open the screen door for the pair. If the outside of the shack of a home was on it's last leg, the inside was without limbs entirely. It greeted them with the stench of bleach and rot. The offensive smell filled Mark's nose, wrenching forth a succession of gags he struggled to swallow down. Dirt encrusted everything in a blackened murk. Stapled to the wall were dozens of sketches, mostly of spiders. They weren't detailed sketches, more the intense, passionate scribbles of a disturbed mind. The deputy led them towards the back of the house. As the distance increased, the atmosphere thickened. Instead of the bitter rot, a warm copper tang filled the air. They came to a halt in an open door way, just inside the bedroom. An EMT wad crouched over something in the closet. Rope swung from the ceiling of the closet, it's lower half stained a brownish red. Mark looked desperately over the man, trying to catch a glimpse of that which he was hovering over. Finally the EMT moved. Mark fell to his knees, clutching his gut. His lungs seized behind his breast bone, followed swiftly by his heart. There lieing in a pool of blood, lay a tattered naked Kari.

"You're in a lot of trouble, Mac," Pratt spat out at the pacing figure in the cell. He was holding an ice pack to his swollen shoulder. The second that kid saw throttling girl lieing in the closet, he'd run out of the house tearing at the car holding Mac. It had taken three of them, himself included, to bring the thrashing boy down. Funny thing was, Mac paid him no mind, while he screamed all sorts of profanity at him. He'd just kept on staring at the house, a strange expression on his scruffy face.

"Do ya hear me boy?"

Mac stopped pacing. He walked towards the bars of his cell, glaring at the sheriff with the full force of those piercing blues. His tongue flicked out over his lower lip, revealing his meth rotted teeth.

"How's that, Pratt," his voice ripe with defiance despite it's surprising softness. Sheriff Pratt looked at him dumbfounded. He threw the ice pack to the floor.

"We got a tied up, naked, bloody, half dead girl in your closet. What the hell do you think?"

P"That's kidnapping, assault, attempted murder. Hell that's only the tip of the iceberg!" Anger rattled through the old man. "And judging by what the EMT said, we'll be able to tack on rape as well."

A low chuckle seeped from the cell. Pratt dug his nails into his palms, holding onto the pain to keep him grounded.

"What's so fuckin funny


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Ahoy hoy. I am terribly pleased with the interest and reviews y'all have bestowed upon my second story, despite it being only just 1 chapter so far and for some reason screwed up in the transfer, but that's ok. Anyway, here is the second bit. I hope ya enjoy! Please keep up the reviews. I'm always up for advice on ways to better the tale. **AN**

_2 weeks earlier_

Kari sat, cowering in the back seat of Mark's dark green pt cruiser. As she made herself as small possible, she pondered what mysterious lightning bolt or freak asteroid struck from the heavens, resulting in the poorly madras decision that led her to her current predicament. From the front passenger's seat, Ava's eyes caught her own in the side view mirror. Kari saw her doom in those eyes: a slow painful wasting away of a demise in which her hair fell out, her teeth rotted, and her ass sagged to the floor. She sank further into her seat, thinking invisible thoughts. She was going to kill Mark. Well maybe not kill him, but definitely punch him in the head a few times. What the hell had he been thinking, dragging her along on the trip?

_"Come on, it'll be fun," Mark begged while he followed her through the line at the dining commons. Kari picked at the mound of scrambled eggs, searching for the least dried out bits. She spied a decent looking section, and scooped it out onto her plate with a satisfyingly moist plop. _

_Success!_

_"We can go ride dirt bikes through the desert. Dunebuggies! There are canyons to hike through. You like hiking. Remember? We'd go up Cathedral Rock."_

_Cool crisp mountain air filled her nose, stinging a little at the back. Over-exerted laughter echoed unkindly in her ears._

_"Oooh, Bacon," she squealed as she skipped around him to get to the magnificent supply of crispy pork products._

_"Have you heard anything I said?"_

_Kari turned to face him and stuffed a slightly burnt strip into her mouth, delighting in the salty flavor. A goofy grin curled around her full mouth._

_"Bacony bacon goodness," she answered, trying not to spit out pieces of her food at him. It was not so much a concern for him as it was a desire not to lose any of the mouthful. Her eyes scanned around him, seeking anything else appetizing. Mark's hands caught the sides of her tray, preventing her retreat._

_"Focus, darlin," he said as he wiggled her tray to draw her attention. Which of course was just ridiculous, because she was always aware of him. It was a choice to selectively participate in the conversation, or any other he managed to drag her into, kicking and screaming. Kari's eyes found his, searching intently. After a few moments had passed with no change, she crossed her eyes at him._

_"It's so crispy."_

_She snuck around his sulking form to the coffee dispenser. Her hand snagged a granny smith on the way. It had become pretty clear he wouldn't let up on his pestering her. The least she could do was claim a cup of nature's cure-all._

_Kari hissed dramatically at the atrocity that was the decaf selection, while she grabbed a mug. An elbow landed on her shoulder as she poured a sugar packet and a few splashes of half and half into the empty cup. Observing the puppy dog eyes peeping at her from her shoulder, Kari set her cup under the spout and pressed the coffee release button. Big puppy dog eyes didn't work on her. Really. They didn't. She turned her full attention on the creamy brown vortex swirling in her cup._

_"You can't ignore me forever..." he said as he poked her shoulder repeatedly._

_"I can where coffee's involved," she countered, bringing the cup to her lips. Steam billowed from her cup, curling about her face. The milky white tendrils curled about her nose. What a blessed distraction. Kari sipped a small mouthful of coffee into her mouth to check the coffee/sugar/creamer ratio. She gave the cup a satisfactory nod._

_"I have never seen someone so into their coffee," his voice broke her coffee trance. She gifted him with her middle finger and toddled off into the dining area. Most of the tables were vacant, as breakfast was nearly at an end. The only downside of the breakfast rush being over was the residue and debris left in its wake. She spied a relatively untouched looking table by the window, and made a bee line for it._

_Kari planted her hind end firmly in the chair with her tray in front of her. She cast an inquisitive look at her plate, debating on which to eat first. Stalled between bacon and eggs, she reached for her coffee as a compromise. She sighed happily at her first sip of coffee of the day. Technically it was her second sip, but that tasting trial didn't count. It was an objective sip, and required preparation to pull a face and fix the blend. She looked over the plastic rim of her cup at the expectant Mark, who by some sorcery of persistence had appeared in the chair before her. They stared at each other in battling silence. "Ok," she sighed, putting her cup down. "Explain to me why in the blue hell would I want to go with you and your girlfriend to her family's house?"_

_Leaning back in his chair, Mark rubbed his hand over the back of his head, brushing his mohawk between his fingers. _

_"I don't like the way shit is between everyone right now."_

_Kari raised an eyebrow at him._

_"I mean it," he scolded her. "I'm tired of having to tip toe on fucking egg shells anytime my girlfriend and one of my oldest friends are in the same room." Frustration twisted his brow, warping his handsome features. She kept her mouth shut, letting him vent._

_"Hell even mentioning either of you to the other is a bitch." She picked at her eggs with a bacon strip, not meeting his gaze._

_"See!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her._

_"Look," she snapped. "It isn't my being angry at her that is causing a problem. I have no opinion of her whatsoever. She hates me. What am I suppose to do? "_

_Mark nodded at her, trying to diffuse the potential nuclear explosion before the countdown started, "Yea, I know, but I still would like things to be ok between you two."_

_He rested his chin clasped hands and just stared at her._

_"Please."_

_Damn. It wasn't fair. No matter what she tried, she could not possibly say no to him. Not when he turned on the wily charm. Or in this case the guilt trip. It seemed a bit pathetic that she couldn't deny him. She couldn't just say fuck it. Kari stared into his sweetly pleading face. Those brown eyes had been with her everyday through high school. Never judgmental. Never cruel. Damn. Damn._

_"Fine."_

If only she'd paid more attention to her breakfast and less on sentimentality, she'd be sitting comfortably at home, soaking in a kiddy pool with a loch ness monster floaty around her waist.

Kari caught a cold front blast through the chair and hit her square in the face. She glanced up and once again locked eyes with Ava again. Yep, she'd punch him in the head. Repeatedly.

_Present_

"What the fuck?!" Mark shouted in the hallway of the hospital. "You're kidding right?!"

"Calm down," Sheriff Pratt hissed, eyeing the nurses and doctors poised to chastise them. "Mac's saying it was consensual."

The frustrated kid dragged a hand hard over his face as he paced the hall.

If he continued his movements any more, a path would be worn into the tile. Disbelief beat what little sanity Mark had left into the dirt. He'd sat shaking during the entire ambulance trip, watching the paramedics rush to save Kari's life. In their chaotic world, all he could do was sit wrapped up in his own body and praying for a miracle. It was the most fast-paced slow trip of his life. A hurried wait.

Now she laid, fighting for her life, while the thing that put her there went about saying she wanted it. The organized calm of the hospital shattered as a thunderous crack echoed through the little sterile building. Pratt snatched up the kid by the collar, dragging him into a chair.

"Control yourself!" he shouted at Mark. "These people are working to save your friend's life." Pratt let go of his collar, letting out a hard breath to regain his own self composure.

"Look," he murmured, his fingers running over his sweat slick face. "When your friend wakes up, we can get her side of the story and go from there."

"Her side?"Mark asked in disbelief. "It's kinda obvious isn't it? He kidnapped her. He... He hurt her. What else is there?"

Pratt nodded."Yea, I know, but we need her statement to charge him with anything substantial. We need to be able to prove she didn't agree to any of the actions that brought her to this condition."

Pratt leaned down and patted the shoulder, "When they let you in, talk to her. Let her know you're there."

Mark looked up tears pooling in his eyes.

"Get her to wake up."

The door to Kari's room opened. Both Sheriff Pratt and Mark looked up to see a doctor standing before them. She was a tiny thing, five foot two at the most. Her blonde curls framed a little heart-shaped face that was no doubt pretty even when exhaustion wrought itself across every corner of her face. She tucked her hands into her lab coat and padded over to the two men

"Hello, I'm Dr Naomi," her voice was commanding, but gentle as she addressed them. "She's stable for the moment. But it's going to be pretty touch and go for a while. She sustained two fractured ribs on her left side, thankfully neither of which punctured her lungs. She has bruises and lacerations throughout her body, a good deal of which is concentrated on her back. She's lost a lot of blood. I have her scheduled for an MRI in a few hours. It should tell us if the loss of blood resulted in any tissue death, particularly in the brain."

The good doctor's words passed through Mark like a shock wave. His lower jaw went slack from the revelations. Sheriff Pratt moved to the doctor's side, dipping his head down to hers.

"Did you do up a rape kit?" he murmured softly, so as to not send off the boy in another rage.

Dr. Naomi nodded, "I'll have it sent over."

Mark cleared his throat, trying to get his body and brain on the same page, "Can I see her?"

The petite woman nodded again, "She isn't conscious, but maybe having a friend nearby can help with that." Mark followed the doctor into the room, leaving the tired sheriff in the hall.

Multiple beds inhabited in the room, none of which contained any patients, save for the far one in the corner. He couldn't see her yet, but being the only bed with the curtain pulled around it, he knew which was hers. As he walked past the empty beds, Mark felt his pace slow to that of an unsure trudge. He wanted to see her. He knew he had to see her, to touch her hand and know it was still warm. The grizzly sight in the house still haunted him, but it allowed a certain self-delusion. The blood splattered miserable state she'd been in was thanks to the cruelty of a psychopath. It was realistic for her to look destroyed, but in a hospital was different. Hospitals contained all the equipment and trained professionals geared towards healing. As long as that curtain stayed shut, he could pretend they fixed her up to the perfection she was before. She wouldn't be a mess. Bruised. Beaten. Violated. She could get up any second, and they would all drive home.

"Please," he whispered under his breath. "Get up."

Doctor Naomi tugged back the curtain as gently as possible, minimizing the scraping sound of metal rings on the curtain rods above the bed. There Kari lay, under a thin blanket with her arms at her side. The first things Mark noted were the tubes and cords. An IV lay taped to her forearm under the bend of her elbow. Thick white cords attached to a machine slithered over her chest and disappeared under the top of her hospital gown. Another cord snaked about her arm and ceased at a small circular end that was taped about her index finger. Tape covered her mouth, holding in place a tube emerging from between her pale dry lips. He walked to her side and reached out a trembling hand.

As his finger grazed the knuckles of her hand, he felt a small twinge of gratitude that she wasn't icy cold. His fingers traveled over her wrist. Deep purple and red grooves encircled her wrists from the base of her palm all the way to the little mole just beyond the rounded bump of her wrist. Her forearms were covered in dark bruises, often in the shape of fingers. Surprisingly her face held very little damage. Only a yellowing bruise brushed her cheek. Where her face lacked damage, her neck enthusiastically made up for it. Her neck was no longer the lightly tanned color he remembered, but a mosaic of red, purple, and black. Stitches wrapped around her the base of her neck, and ended just above her collar-bone like some morbid necklace. Inside his head, Mark screamed in agony.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Shoot, sorry this is taking seemingly forever. Classes are ripping me a new one. First I'd like to thank the awesome folks who have been following my trip with Mac. Thank you also for all the incredibly observant reviews. Yes I do have a small obsession with coffee and bacon, and I was hungry when I wrote that. ^_^ It's my first nonlinear attempt, so if it comes off as scatter brained please let me know.

**VeritasKym: **Technically Kari and Mark have not dated. They are friends who ended up in a physical relationship. Ava hates her, because those two have been friends for a long time, and stay friends or more as significant others come and go. I think she questions Kari's motives.

**Caffiend04: ** oh it's a coming (budum bum)

**SaraLostInes: **I am so pleased you caught that. Explanations to be found in a future chapter. I promise I won't take forever on that.

As always please continue with your reading and reviewing. ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^ **AN**

_Thirteen days ago:_

Kneeling on the bed, Kari poured all her attention into rolling another cigarette. A plastic Tupperware container sat to her right, half full with freshly rolled cigarettes. A loud moan seeped through the walls of the little guest room. She paused her work for only a second to roll her eyes at the direction from which the sound came. They'd been at it all afternoon. Like a pair of damn rabbits. As she dabbed her tongue along the edge of the paper, a succession of scrapping sounds wrenched through the air. Kari cringed at the ungodly sound, telling herself it was due to the nails on the chalkboard similarity.

"I'm Henry the Eighth I am," she sang aloud to herself. "Henry the Eighth I am, I am." The scraping sound dissolved into an obnoxious thumping.

"I got married to the widow next door," her song growing louder to muffle the sound. "She's been married…"

"Oh, God! Yes!" Ava's scream ripped through the room, catching her in the gut.

"Fuck it." Kari popped the cigarette between her lips and headed for the door. The sexual soundtrack was louder in the living room, but if she could pass through that uncomfortable barricade, she could reach that blissful silence outside. She rushed through the swamp of auditory unpleasantness, yanking open the door. Letting the screen door shut with a crack behind her, Kari swept out into the open air. She blinked rapidly, trying to combat the surprising intensity of a setting sun. Her fingers dug through her pockets, clasping a small lighter tucked into its caverns. As she brought the bright flickering flame to the tip of her cigarette, a faint rumble rippled through the dirt laden horizon. Inhaling, Kari lifted a hand to her brow to shield her eyes. A red truck, framed in the descending sun roared down the road. Whirlwind dust storms erupted from its tires. She watched curiously as it tore off into the distance.

Dropping her hand to her side, Kari made her way down the length of the porch to a rocking chair. Its old wooden frame creaked under her weight as she rocked back and forth. The last lingering rays of dying light flitted across the clumps of shrubs and trees, as though allowing the sun its last lover's strokes of the leaves, before the moon chased it away. Kari watched in silence as the sun departed, surrendering to the newborn evening. The trip had left her physically worn out and emotionally strung out.

After what seemed like ages of endless highways and scattered towns, they'd finally reached their destination. The road turned from the well maintained smooth path of the highway to the rock covered bouncy tread of dirt roads. The car pulled up to a pleasant enough looking single story house. Its pastel blue colored walls were welcoming enough. They'd dragged their bags from the car through the front door. Inside was a startling array of wicker furniture and lace lined curtains. In a less exhausted state, Kari would have been taken aback by the strange decorating taste, but her sleep heavy eyes rearranged her priorities. The second she'd crossed the threshold to the guest room, she'd dropped her bags to her right and collapsed face first into a firm, quilt covered bed. In the moment it had taken for the mattress to bounce back against her prone form, she'd drifted off into a dark peaceful abyss, that'd kept her in its grasp well into the next afternoon.

The horizon was murky with the dust the truck had kicked up in its wake. As she stomped out the cigarette, she wondered who was in the truck.

_Present_

"I wanna talk to the sonovabitch!" Mark's shout wracked the walls with its strangled edge.

Harley kept his arm locked around the struggling man's neck. "Yea, that ain't happenin'."

Mark jerked about, his hands tearing for some sort of leverage. Harley kept him physically detained, hoping to eventually ease him into a chair. When Sheriff Pratt had returned from the hospital, he'd given express orders for the missing girl's friend to not be allowed past the waiting room. The second the small police station received the pleasurable announcement of Mark's arrival, in the form of the door nearly slamming off of its hinges, Harley had vaulted out of his seat and scrambled to the door. Though he had not seen the intruder, it was obvious who'd caused the raucous. No one else in town had anything to throw a fit about. Not that he blamed the poor guy, but orders were orders. He'd managed to talk the twister of a man down for a second, only to have it shattered by very familiar laughter sneaking around the corner of the hall leading to the holding cells.

"Want some dinner?"

Kari looked up at the sound of Mark's voice coming from the doorway. A very satisfied face smiled happily at her from behind the screen.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" she asked as she pulled herself up from the rocking chair.

"Kinda," he admitted, holding the door open for her.

"Ok," she sighed. "I'll be out in the car in a second."

Kari headed back to her room to toss a few of her smokes into a little metal case, and took the case into her pocket. When she emerged, shutting her door behind her, Kari caught a glimpse of Mark and Ava kissing in the hallway that led to the back rooms. She clamped her mouth down, shutting the flood gates before her gag reflex got the better of her. Her feet pattered lightly against the floor as she quickly made her way to the car, shuffling herself into the back seat. Kari bunkered down, watching the face suckers stealing each other's saliva. She popped her head phones on and blasted her music. When Mark and Ava decided to finally detach (no doubt with a sickening popping sound) she tucked her head into her chest and closed her eyes. Sleep wasn't a possibility or a necessity. It was however an excellent way to retract from small talk. Even if the sleep was of the pretend variety. The car resumed its bouncing along on the dirt road, jostling her head against her chest. Stubborn to the core, Kari kept her eyes clamped shut, determined to not notice the hands clasped over the gear shift.

Three songs into her ordeal, the car pulled to a stop. Kari peaked out through one eye at her surroundings. Through the window sat a peculiar looking building, with string of lights, lining the railing of the porch, and a sign that read Luna Mesa. From the looks of the building, a silver lining presented itself to her: she could get a decent beer here. A new bounce in her step, Kari bounded after the couple, as they made their way to the front door. As she set foot inside the curious establishment, Kari was surprised to see a surprisingly large amount of people already eating dinner at tables. The bar itself was practically surrounded with a number of locals. An older looking man with a long goatee and mustache stood behind the bar, wiping the countertop with a rag. His salt and pepper hair was pulled into a tight ponytail that hung low on his back. Kari felt a strange unease at the way he tracked their movements.

They found an empty table near the door, and seated themselves as a slip of a waitress popped up to take their order. Kari couldn't help but glance back at the man behind the counter, who in return had not looked away from their group. Unwilling to challenge those beady predator's eyes to a staring contest, she turned her gaze out of the window. Faintly she heard Mark and Ava order some food for themselves. She should have been paying attention, and ordering as well, but something in the parking lot caught her eye. The same red truck she'd seen hightailing it down the road earlier was pulling into the parking lot. She squinted at the window, awaiting the driver to step out. A hand flew into her line of sight, pinching her nose shut, and dragging her face away from the window.

"Ow," Kari squawked while she swatted at the two fingers that held her nose captive. "What?"

"What do you want to eat?" Mark asked, releasing her nose. She rubbed the tender appendage with her palm, trying to massage the pain away.

"Could I just get a beer, please?" She asked. The waitress nodded and scribbled on a notepad.

"You sure about that?" Ava looked at her peculiarly, as the waitress trotted off.

"Yea." Kari answered, rubbing her nose one last time. "I'm not going on a bender here. One beer isn't going to hurt."

"No, but drifting off to wacky land all the time might." Though his words were of the chastising sort, his voice was ripe with amusement. She stuck her tongue out at him. Her tongue was retreating back into her mouth when the door opened. Instinctively curious, Kari peered over Mark's shoulder at the newcomer, or rather newcomers. A group of men were making their way from the door to the bar. Each wore some style of work clothes, caked in dirt and grime from collar to pant legs. Some wore the muck directly on their skin.

Amidst the testosterone party, stood a somewhat out of place looking face. This one, though just as dirty as his companions, had a strikingly attractive face. His dark hair hung messily about his head, framing a slender face. He sported a black mustache and goatee that, from the distance, seemed to be just extra dirt rather than facial hair. A cute little mole peeked out at the right corner of his upper lip. One of his associates must have said something entertaining, because suddenly the entire gaggle erupted with laughter. Between his enticing lips, she caught sight of his one flaw. Several of his front teeth were rotting away. Her nose turned up in disgust at the black teeth. The unfortunate lack of dental hygiene flew from her mind as she noticed his most impressive feature. In spite of the distance she was still floored by his piercing blue eyes.

Kari openly stared at him, as he plucked a bottle from behind the counter and poured himself a shot. The man behind the bar, clearly not impressed with the younger man's boldness, began speaking to him softly. When his lips stopped moving, they turned in unison to stare in her direction. Heat flooding her face, and her deer in the head lights impression in full effect, Kari quickly looked away. Her eyes, desperate for a focal point, fell upon a fish gravy sign in the window. She mouthed the words fish gravy as she intensified her focus on the little sign.

"Mac."

The one word held in its depths a sharp warning; the verbal equivalent of a taser to the spine. Kari looked out of the corner of her eye to see the bartender shake his head at the younger man, who was several paces away from where she'd last seen him. Mac. She wondered casually if it was short for something. As Mac took his place at the bar, the waitress came back placing two plastic baskets of burgers with fries and a bottle on the table. She whipped out a little bottle opener from her apron and popped open the beer.

"Want a fry?"

Kari raised an eyebrow at the fry Mark held aloft near his face. She shook her head, instead bringing the bottle to her lips. She rolled her eyes as Ava leaned over and caught the fry between her own pearly whites. Not wanting to see a Lady and the Tramp reenactment, she turned away, taking a big swig of beer.

"So when are you gonna get a boyfriend of your own?" Ava asked, apparently done with her mouth exercises.

"When the next break out happens at the nut house," She answered, knocking back another gulp of beer to hide her annoyance. Any more questions like these, and she'd finish the bottle in record time.

"Meh," Mark smirked. "That's the thing about Kari. She hates relationships, but when one does happen, it's with the worst possible guy for her." Her eyes found their way back to Mac, who was lounging at the counter. He stared openly at her, an amused calculating look on his face.

"Well sweetheart," Kari muttered polishing off her drink. "From now on, I'll send 'em to you for an interview first." She pushed back from her chair and rose from the table. Making her way to the door, she felt that ever present feeling of being watched. She'd easily bet a million bucks, that the eyes watching her were a bright blue.

Kari welcomed the cooling night air with much gratuity as she leaned against the porch railing. She closed her eyes, running her tongue back and forth over her lower lip.

"Forget your chapstick?" A soft voice broke through the silence. "Or is that an offer?" She whipped around to face the source of the deceptively soft voice. Sure enough, Mac stood with his arms crossed just outside of the door, watching her. He took a step closer to her, and ran his index finger over his bottom lip. His sharp blue eyes wandered openly over her body, taking in the contours of her timid form. Under the intense examination of those icy chips, she felt startlingly naked even as she stood there in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Well?"

Kari's mouth dropped open, in an effort to answer, but her brain failed to send anything comprehensive out. Mac quickly closed the distance between them. His broad-shouldered body pressed firmly against hers, effectively tucking her into him. A hand clamped down on her wrist holding it tightly against the wooden rails behind her, while the other snaked up her the back of her neck. Rough fingers grabbed chunks of her short black locks, yanking her head back.

"Yea, that's an offer," he murmured before leaning in to claim her lips. His mouth plundered hers, as he pried her lips apart, forcing his tongue between her teeth. The pungent flavor of rotted teeth filled her mouth, mixing with a the stale smell of sweat flooding her nose. Despite the unfortunate taste, she did not pull away. If anything, she kissed back with a fevered eagerness, delighting in the grunts he pressed into her lips. A lesser man in such a state would have been repugnant. A weaker man would have gotten a knee to the groin and a punch to the face. Mac exerted no such failings. The most primal part of her mind ignited under the call of the strength of his body and will. It answered, knowing instinctively to submit.

"Kari?"

Mac pulled away from her bruised lips, his hand still locked in her hair. Ava stood staring at them, her armament wrapped around her middle.

"We're going now," she said uncomfortably as she shuffled her feet. Locking eyes with the petite woman, Kari for once felt concern from her. She moved to pull her wrist out of his grip, only to have him squeeze tighter.

"I didn't say you could go," he said sharply, pulling her hair further back, baring her neck. Her hand throbbed as the blood tried to push its way beyond the foreign barrier. The strain in her neck sent aching shivers through her chest into and down her torso. A shift of his hips pushed a large bulge into her thigh, sending Kari's eyes rolling into the back of her head.

"Please," she whispered, the rocking of his erection against her thigh dragging unbidden whimpers from her throat. Mac pulled her head forward, watching her brow tightening. His hand released her wrist and slid it around to her front.

Without warning, he let go of her hair and pulled away. Kari did not realize she'd been holding her breath until a sudden rush filed her burning chest. She inched toward Ava, who in turn took her hand, quickly pulled her towards the car. A pair of shrieks pierced the night as two arms landed on their shoulders.

"Woa," Mark laughed. "Hey what's wrong?" Ava looked to Kari for some sign of what to say, but she didn't return the favor. Her eyes were glued to the intimidating figure removing a cigarette from a little metal case.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Ugh this has taken a while. Creative energy is being zapped with bloody classes. I can only really say, thanks to those who have read, followed, and reviewed. It is incredibly flattering. Hopefully this is an enjoyable read. It's short I know. But I promise the chapter after this will be D-day 1. So to speak. ^_^ I promise it gets better. (Don't quote me on that ) **AN**

_12 Days Ago._

The awkward creak of the wooden rocking chair had turned to a frustrated squeak under Kari's continuous jerky motions. At four hours, the entirety of her butt and thighs had lost all feeling. Still she refused to move from her place. She hadn't been able to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, a pair of shining blue eyes burned in her mind. Her fingers traveled to her still tender lips, remembering the cause of their bruising. A warm flush spread over her skin, drifting with the agonizing speed of flower petals over a pond. Her finger tips slid from her lips, ghosting down her neck to glide along her collar bone.

The distant call of an engine snapped her out of her lust filled fog. Kari craned her neck at the sound. A police cruiser thundered down the road. The glint of sunlight over the blue and red on its top being a dead, but irritating, giveaway. She eased back in the chair, terribly disappointed. Her Tupperware container of cigarettes sat at her feet, missing a significant amount of its former content. Next to it was an empty soda can, thoroughly used as an ash tray. Her body had decided that the breakfast of champions this day was carbonated beverages. Truly the healthy of alternative.

For the first time in several months she'd had a conversation with Ava, that wasn't ripe with verbal warfare. In fact, she'd seemed down right concerned, which was in itself unnerving. She'd sought her out to ask if she was ok. Kari had never had to dispel any fears Ava had for her before. Lost in unfamiliar territory, the best answer she could come up with was a nod and a smile. Given her decision to isolate herself on the porch all morning, the answer lost all credibility, rendering it as substantial as rice cake. And just as dry. Kari reached down snagging another cigarette.

_Present_

Mark turned the small metal case around in his hands. The rhythmic beeping of the machines at Kari's side did little to assure him of her stability. The bottom right hand corner of the case was scratched beyond recognition. He knew what the scratches covered.

_Try and quit. Love you always, Mark._

It had been her twentieth birthday present. It had originally held a Boondock Saints decal on the front, but over the years friction had dished out punishment on the little image. His fingers passed lightly over the viscous scratches. The crisscrossing grooves were deep and very deliberate. Kari had never been careless or malicious with her things. Even if there were awkward emotional attachments to the item, her practicality wouldn't let her damage or throw away anything in a rage. The door opened and closed gently, barely breaking over the monotonous beeping.

"I brought you some coffee." Mark glanced up reluctantly accepting the little paper cup Ava held out. Bringing the cup to his lips, he turned his attention back to the case in his hand.

"Why didn't you tell me what happened?" he didn't look at her while he asked.

"She asked me not to," Ava answered. "Babe, we had no way of knowing he'd be that dangerous. He could have been some harmless creep." Mark looked up at Kari, swallowing at the sight of her lifeless form.

"Well he wasn't."

_9 days ago_

Kari stared at the endless array of sleep aids standing before her. Her heavy hanging eyelids and dark circled eyes clear indicators of her misery. God help anyone stupid enough to ask her if she was tired. The vast majority of the sleep aids were some sort of holistic variation, basically the pill equivalent of herbal tea. She reached for a bottle of Tylenol Pm.

"I don't have a headache," she muttered at the bottle turning it over to examine the instructions

"Hey."

Kari turned at the perky male voice, only to be blinded by an unnaturally bright toothy grin. She squinted at the human representation of shark week.

"Tired, huh?"

And there was her headache. Deciding to disregard the hopefully rhetorical question, she turned her back on Captain Obvious and made a bee line straight for the self-checkout. As she scanned the medication, a tingling shot through her body, slipping across her hips. She turned, half expecting to see her justification for acetophemine, and fully prepared to acquire a reason for an ice pack for her knuckles. Fortunately those scary looking pearly whites were nowhere to be seen. She turned back quickly to continue her purchase, determined not to add hallucinations to her growing list of symptoms. She squelched the sensation of eyes on her and began feeding her cash into the machine.

Her foreboding shivers returned, twice as strong. Anxious to put as much distance between herself and the cause of her discomfort, Kari quickly made her way around the side of the store to the parking lot. Rifling through her pockets, she fished out the car keys. Keeping her head down, she squinted at the little buttons, trying to decipher from the faded pictures which unlocked the car doors. She just managed to drop her exhausted hide into the seat and shut the door when a loud buzzing sound echoed through the little vehicle.

"Fuck!" She shouted at the empty space. This funhouse of days was getting old pretty fast. It was time to break it down and pack it up. Sighing, she snatched up her phone to check her messages.

_Hiking 2morrow. Wanna go?_


	5. Chapter 5

**An: **This took forever, but I have an excellent excuse. Season premier of Walking Dead. Awesome! Okie dokie. Thank you again so much for the follows and reviews. I love 'em. Reviews help so much in letting me know if it is working, or more importantly what can be fixed etc.

**Coconutcarter**: There is nothing wrong with long reviews. It's most helpful, especially considering I a, always worried it would be scatter brained storyline. I am so glad you like Kari. She is so much fun to write.

Things should be kicking off either in this chapter or the next. **AN**

_Seven Days Ago_

Kari squished her face into the glass of the rear passenger window, dragging her nose back and forth. Mark had apparently decided a hiking trip was in order. One that she would be involved in. Arguing with the unmovable object was a fruitless endeavor, and she was far too lazy to come up with something creative enough to even attempt such a thing. So instead, she came to the conclusion that non-violent protest in the form of unsanitary vandalism would be the best route. Kari continued to rub her nose in circular motions on the glass, all the while making strange faces at nothing in particular. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Mark watching her in the rear view window with a disturbed look on his face. Tucking her tongue back into her mouth, Kari smiled innocently at him.

"Such lovely…" she peered out of the window. "Dirt."

"Smart ass."

"Naturally." The distant sound of an engine caught her attention. She turned to look out of the back windshield, only to find an unoccupied road. Kari settled back into her seat, disappointed at the continued unease car sounds made. Although in this case, it was more of phantom car sounds. She twisted her head from side to side, trying to alleviate the pressure that had built from a newly acquired throbbing pinch at the back of her neck. It had been almost an entire week, yet she was still haunted by a memory. One that still had something of hers. Other than her continued attention. Her thoughts were jarred from their unwanted concentration by the progressively bumpy road. Mark pulled the car into a makeshift parking lot at the end of the dirt road.

Kari shuffled her unenthusiastic body out of the car, blowing a rogue lock of hair, which had fallen in front of her eyes, off her face. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she looked about at the landscape around her. The strange splattering of rock forms all around them created an unnerving labyrinth. Thankfully, Mark had decided to use a designated hiking area. She still had scars from the half a dozen times he'd managed to lure her off the search of more exciting scenery. Her boot had slipped on a pile of pine needles sending her tumbling, over the side of switchbacks they'd just hiked up. That particular trip had ended with having to explain to the doctor that her leg was not in fact morphing into a pine tree, but had been impaled upon a branch.

She joined Mark and Ava at the open trunk, and pinned him with a very poignant stare. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Yes. Yes. Path," he muttered, clearly not interested in discussing the issue.

"What?" Ava asked, adjusting the straps of her backpack. Mark shook his head at the inquiry, not wanting to go anywhere near that can of worms. Worms that over the years had rotted into an oozing murky mass. Any shaking of said can resulted in a distinctly uncomfortable and squishy sound. A guilt trip sort of sound. Kari pointed an accusing finger at his nose, though her eyes sought out her camelbak in the trunk. She pulled the water laden pack over her shoulders, switching to maintain her pointing, when the straps hindered her.

"When are you gonna let that go?" he sighed.

"When you stop being a turd," she retorted, adjusting her pack. "I guess that means it'll take a while."

She headed straight for the most trodden looking area, determined not to set a toe anywhere people had not gone before. Kari scuffed the foot print on the ground with the tip of her boot.

"Are we going?" She looked up from the footprints to see that Mark and Ava had passed her and were already trekking up a small incline. Smiling, she nodded and quickly made her way to their collective side.

"You ok?" Mark asked, catching her arm lightly to stop her progression.

"Yeah," she answered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been easily distracted," he paused. "More so than usual." Seeing the concern etched in the entirety of his features, made her second guess the security of her own opinion.

"I'm fine," she assured him, filling the words with a sincerity she did not feel. It wouldn't be the first time she lied to him. Sparing her a fleeting glance, he dropped her arm and turned away. The incline they'd taken wove in between the solitary rock formations and mountain sides, sending them on an alternating trip through bits of blinding unshielded sunlight and cold darkened shadows. Kari tucked the bite valve of her camelback into her mouth, pulling a mouthful of refreshing water into her parched throat. They passed many unusual shapes, either constructed out of the rock, or carved into it, but they were of little interest to Kari. She preferred trees or at least brush to be present on her hiking trips. The polarized temperature changes between little more than a few steps weren't her particular cup of tea. Somewhat ironic given the fact that she lived in a desert valley.

The incline had settled into a gentle downward slope that curved around a sudden drop. Kari shuffled slowly to the edge of the cliff. Below her stretched out a long canyon, rusty red from its pigmented earth.

"Path, remember?"

She threw a middle finger over her shoulder before turning away to rejoin them at a far safer distance from the canyon. They followed the path down until it started to turn back in the direction they came, hovering over a small dip. Ever the curious pain in her neck, Mark trotted to see what was at the bottom.

"Huh," he grunted, peering at what lay below.

"What is it?" Ava asked, as she moved to a spot near him. "Huh."

Kari blinked at the pair, standing side by side. "Bloody in sync." She muttered. Succumbing to peer pressure, she walked over to where they stood and looked down. A short distance away sat a red truck and a dirt bike just in front of a cave opening. Her mouth opened, on the verge of letting fly a similar sound of indifferent observation, when she noticed the truck with greater clarity of mind.

_Holy Shit._

Out of the corner of her eye she stole a peak at Ava. Not even a hint of recognition passed her face. Though, after a second thought, there was no reason for her to recognize it. Ava didn't know which vehicle had been His.

"We should go," she murmured, moving away from the cave.

"Why?" Mark asked. He and Ava stared at her peculiarly. Not wanting to have to explain to Mark what had happened at the Luna Mesa, Kari stared blankly at him.

"I, uh," she stuttered. "Don't want to interrupt… you know… whoever they are. Mind my own business and all." He stared at her, searching her face with a blank expression, but inquisitive eyes. He wore that look when he knew she was hiding something important. Her best bet was to keep her mouth shut. Silence may be incriminating, but her newfound speech impediment didn't help either. At least if she was quiet, she wouldn't have to lie. Any more than she already had.

"I think we should go see what's going on," he said, still expressionless.

"Why?" she asked, half whining.

"You've never kept secrets from me before, Karilynn," Mark stared at her, eyes flashing the accusation with a hurt she'd not seen from him before. She hated hearing her full name like that. The tone, manner, and general situation were not to her taste at all.

"That's what you think," she muttered softly, her own anger rising.

Whether he had heard her or not, Mark didn't answer. Instead, he took Ava's hand and together they worked their way down to the cave opening. Kari watched them as they stopped at the entrance to look at it more carefully. He moved to go inside, only to have her pull back on his hand.

"That's it, Ava," Kari whispered. "Be the smart one. Voice of reason." She watched in dismay as Mark spoke softly to Ava, no doubt some charming words of comfort.

"Damn it," Kari hissed, as the pair crept into the cave. She sat down on the edge with her arms crossed. She had already made up her mind. There was no way she was going in there. Nope. Nothing could convince her. Not a single solitary thing. Her eyes tracked over to the distractingly bright red of the truck. She squeaked at the sight. In the darker, unexplored parts of her mind, a voice began to whisper to her. In its honey coated tongue, it reminded her of Him. It set her back to that night on the porch, and promised more.

_Nope!_

She would follow her common sense and horror movie etiquette, and she was pretty sure "Do not go into the creepy cave unless you are Scooby Doo" was one of the rules. Humming softly to the tune of I will survive, she kicked her feet repeatedly and waited for them to emerge. Her song was interrupted by a thunderous bark of a sound. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what could have made that sound.

Gasping out as many curse words as she could think of, Kari hobbled down the small hill and ran toward the cave. Though it was still bright outside, the inside of the cave held an overwhelming darkness. Sucking in a quivering breath, she slipped into the cave. Traveling blindly through the tunnels, she stumbled on seemingly every rock possible. A soft light began to glow down one of the tunnels. She followed it, hoping it didn't lead to a corpse. The further she traveled, the thicker the air was. It reeked of ammonia and other chemicals she could not place. Trying to smother her coughs into her arm, Kari turned around a corner to find a wall of plastic sheets hanging from the ceiling.

Through the sheets, she could she a distorted mass huddled against the wall. Reaching out, she parted the plastic curtains, revealing Mark kneeling on the floor with an unconscious Ava tucked in his arms. His pant leg below the knee was soaked in blood. A man in a dark and dirty jumpsuit hovered over them. Straps covered the back of his head, splitting his dark hair at different angles. She took a step forward, only to be caught around the middle and shoved into the rock wall behind her.

Sharp pains ripped through her side, pulling a breathy gasp from her lips. She looked into the foggy lenses of the old looking gas mask that filled her entire field of vision. Long greasy black hair hung between the straps holding the mask to his head. His rancid breath smothered her nose, sending her gag reflex to work violently inside her throat.

"The fuck?"

The gas mask pulled away, letting her slide down the wall. Kari looked down to see a large hunting knife hilt deep in her side. Rough shuffling drew her attention away from her side. She tilted her head up in time to see the long haired man get shoved aside by the shorter haired man, also wearing a gas mask. He strolled over to where she sat and stared at her. At least, she assumed he was staring at her. She couldn't see through the mask he wore. Kari forgot how to breathe under the persistent stare. Despite the fact that she could not see his eyes, she could feel them burning through her. He hadn't moved a muscle, demanding, in a way, that she not move either.

A shovel swung through the air in front of her, striking the man on the temple. He crumpled to the floor at her feet. The stringy haired man stood over them, clutching a gun in his hand. Looking from the unconscious man on the floor to the one who had put them both there, Kari felt a sudden onset of uncontrollable rage. Disregarding the gun, she lunged at him. Unable to knock him off his footing, she settled for sending a hard kick to his balls. He let out a bark of pain, before wrapping his fingers around the knife. Dizzying pain filled her head, as he gave the knife a vicious twist before pulling it out.

Glass shattered near her face. The little shards sliced along her cheek. It took her a moment to realize that Mark was standing in front of her shaking her shoulder with a shattered beer bottle in his hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked still shaking her. Kari nodded and bent down to pick up the knife. Together they hauled Ava to her feet and carried her through the tunnels. Running was a cruel mistress of a necessity. The darkness alone had been difficult enough to handle, but injured and carrying a limp body made stumbling in the dark seem like a breeze. Streaks of daylight lit up the tunnel. They shuffled towards the beacon with a renewed vigor. Bracing herself on the cave wall, Kari took a much needed breath before breaking out into the light.

They stood before the cave entrance and looked at the two vehicles before them. Easing the full weight of Ava's body against Mark, Kari hobbled over to the truck and peered inside. The door wasn't locked, but there were no keys to be found. She opened the door and sifted through the compartments, looking desperately for the keys. Finding only trash, she slid out of the truck and turned to Mark, the disappointment written all over her face. He slumped against the wall, clutching Ava to him. Kari glanced over at the dirt bike.

_Please_

Almost collapsing on it, she pulled the bike up, searching for an ignition.

"It's a kick-start," she gasped.

"What?" he asked, hope filling his worn out voice.

"You and Ava go. I can distract them."

"No, no, no! Kari, are you fuckin crazy?! There are two of them! And..."

"And shut the hell up," Kari whispered angrily. She pointed the bloody hunting knife at Mark's nose. "You are wasting time. I can run faster than either of you. Get your asses on the mother fuckin bike and go get help!" Mark looked desperately at the grim resolve in her eyes. Her short blue-black hair stuck to patches of sticky blood that splattered her pale face. He couldn't change her mind. He knew that. Once her difficultly practical logic started, there was no reasoning with her. His leg throbbed with every beat of his speeding heart. The bullet had ripped clean through his calf muscle. Ava hung from his side, drifting in and out of consciousness. Blood was oozing from a gash at the side of her head. Kari was right, of course. Too many zombie movies had sent her into a cardio frenzy. She could leave them in the dust. There was only the one dirt bike laying in the dust. Sometimes math just sucked. It was a cruel truth Mark didn't want to admit.

"I'm not gonna die," Kari whispered, her voice crackling on that ominous word. "I've still got shit to do." A half-smile broke along her dry lips. Mark nodded finally, and dragged Ava to the bike. With Kari's help, he managed to set himself on the bike, and tuck the petite woman in his arms.

"I'll be back soon," he croaked. Kari nodded at him, her arms shaking at her sides. As he took off down through the canyons, his heart slammed into his throat

She watched them until they disappeared in the direction of the main road. Her back bent slightly, trying to cope with the growing weight pulling her chest down to the earth beneath her feet. Her side throbbed. Every pulse sent another handful of blood oozing down her hip. Thank goodness Mark hadn't asked how she got hold of the knife. A faint thumping sounded behind her. She turned back to the opening of the mine. Faint light flicked across the walls, sending waves of panic crashing through her.

"Move," she whispered to herself. "Move. Come on. Move."

The light grew brighter, bouncing off the ugly sharp corners inside of the cave. Her head filled with her own screaming, desperate to shake off the lead that had mysteriously filled her shoes.

"Move," she hissed. "Move, Stupid."

A bright red handprint on the inside wall glowed under the bright light.

"Fuck," she squeaked, and took off in the opposite direction that Mark drove off in.

Kari sprinted at full speed, not worried about trying to draw their attention. Her blood had begun to trickle down her leg, leaving a very shocking red trail behind her. Determined not to slow down, she focused on the ground in front of her, planning each step before her. Knees buckling under her, she caught sight of a large boulder sitting not far from the edge of the cliff. Her blood oozed faster from the gaping wound in her side, leaving her head swimming through an unending fog of dizziness. Swinging around the boulder, she crouched down behind it, and waited for one of them to get within arm's reach.

Her nose and throat burned in protest at being forced to run in an injured panic. Loud raspy breaths echoed from her aching chest. She clamped her hand down over her mouth, forcing her body to funnel her air through her nose. Praying neither of her pursuers had been close enough to hear her huffing like a wounded wildebeest.

The tip of a shadow began to form inches away from where she sat. Stifling a shriek she waited until the shadow attached to a pair of dirty sneakers. Kari took a quick breath and tightened her handle on the knife. In as swift a movement she could muster, she stabbed the knife through his ankle just behind the bone. She ripped it backwards until the back of his ankle blood spewed through the hanging tatters of torn flesh and severed tendons. Her attacker screamed at the sudden assault. Before he could recover his balance, she pushed off from her position, shoving him with all her might towards the edge of the cliff.

Rough hands caught hold of her shirt, sending her flying towards the edge as well. Kari slammed into the ground, the upper half of her torso hanging over the edge of the cliff. Looking down she saw the stringy haired man hanging high over the canyon floor, still clinging to her shirt. She flattened her body against the ground and placed her hands firmly against the edge of the cliff. Vaguely she heard the grunting sounds below her. As the man held on by the fabric of her cotton shirt, he tried in vain to find decent footing. She clawed at his hands, trying to pry the fingers off of her clothing. A thump sounded to the left of her face, drawing her attention to her side. Just within reach stood the hunting knife, impaled into the ground. Without a second thought, she grabbed it from its perch and sliced through the front of her shirt.

Kari watched as the man fell, a mass of baggy clothes and greasy hair. She shut her eyes before he hit, not wanting to add an image to the horrible thud. Her heart sank a little in her chest, as realization hit her. She'd killed him. Yes, it had been a matter of life and death. The rationalizing did nothing to ease the overwhelming guilt at having to take another person's life. After all he was still a person, albeit not a very good one. He had a mother and a father. Maybe siblings. Maybe children. Unshed tears filled her eyes as she spared a thought for this tragedy. Tears not only for the life snuffed out, but for the burden she must now carry.

Looking down at the front of her shirt, she plucked at the tattered remains. Her hand tightened on the handle of the blade that had freed her from a similar airborne trip. Slowly her brain put together the complex puzzle that was logic involving her acquisition of the knife. She turned toward her left, her heartbeat thudding a heavy metal beat in her ears. A hand appeared, catching her across her cheek. She fell, her vision fading with her body's descent. Through the silver lined darkness flooding her eyes, Kari saw a pair of lips pull back into a smile, revealing blackened teeth.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **D-Day folks. Well D-half day… so it is a bit short. Hope ya like it. **AN**

A thick greasy strap split her dry lips, resting tautly between her teeth. Her tongue pushed against the fabric, as she instinctively tried to lick her lips. The damp cloth bristled against the tip of her tongue. She grimaced, the sharp bitter tang that spread over the surface of her tongue.

Kari opened her eyes slowly, blinking away the grime that built up at the corner of her eyes. She moved to rip the offensive strap from her mouth only to find both of her numb limbs tied above her head. Panic rising in her chest, she tugged at the ropes wrapped tightly around her wrists. Wrenching her hands from side to side, she winced as the ropes tore into her skin. The normally stabbing needle sensation turned to burning razor blades where she was bound.

She craned her neck up to look at her binds. A thick brown rope engulfed her wrists, securing it to a tarnished bass bed frame. Her spine popped as she twisted on the stiff mattress beneath her. While she moved, a sharp tugging snagged at her legs. Looking down she saw her bare feet and ankles; the latter wrapped in the same rope that held her wrists captive. Willing her tingling fingers to move, she whimpered in frustration as her purpling fingertips lightly brushed over the fraying braids, clearly lacking the blood supply for the necessary fine motor skills.

Unshed tears began to fill her eyes at the bleakness of her situation. Kari closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pushing the hysteria down as far as it could go, which was more or less the equivalent of using scotch tape on a leaky dam. Blinking away the stubborn tears, she looked about the room. It was a dark room, pierced only by the fiery rays of the setting sun slipping through the gaps of the dirty blinds. The red and orange lights flitted along dusty walls.

The only other piece of furniture was a worn down drawer set that stood against the wall next to the bed. A bundle of dirty clothes lay piled about on top of the set. Stapled on the walls about her were scattered pictures of spiders, sporadically drawn in black ink. Stray rays of light glinted off their bloated dark bodies. Kari slammed her head back into the mattress, growling at the utter helpless feeling smothering her. Sadness turning to a blood boiling anger, she curled her torso, pulling hard on her ties.

"Fuuk Ooo!" she screamed at the ropes. Forcing out a heated breath around the gag, Kari let her head collapse against the bed.

_What the hell happened?_

Clamping her eyes shut, she tried to think back on what she last remembered. They'd been hiking. Mark and Ava had toddled off into some cave. There was a gunshot. Her eyes snapped open. She had helped Mark hold up Ava, and then running. Someone had been holding onto her shirt. She glanced down at the tattered ends of her shirt. The guy had fallen off a cliff. Kari remembered cutting her shirt with a hunting knife. Something had hit her. She lightly pressed her cheek into her shoulder, feeling the tell-tale signs of a large bruise.

"Good Morning, Sunshine."

Jumping out of her skin, Kari peered out of the corner of her eye at the greeting. Mac stood, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. Hanging in the gasp of his left hand was a gas mask.

"Oh…" she gasped out. Walking from the doorway around the bed, he headed for the only other piece of furniture in the room, all the while keeping her in his peripheral vision.

"Hmm?" His question hung in the air, as he dropped the gas mask on the pile to join its inanimate family. She shook her head wordlessly, too dumbfounded to say anything.

"No?" Mac turned his back to her, his hand half disappearing into the pile.

"Is that all, then?" his voice rippled with a smug amusement. "Just no?" A sharp scraping sound broke through the air. A stray flicker of sunlight shot under his elbow, exploding in a bright flash in front of his torso. His left hand dropped to his side, a hunting knife clasped tightly in his grasp. Kari's fearful shriek died under the gag, emerging only as pitiful whimper. He titled his head at her, a smirk perking at the corners of his mouth.

"Sweetheart," he chuckled. "If this is to go smoothly, we need to be able to communicate clearly. I'll let you know when you should scream." Frozen in place, she watched as he strolled over to her side, the knife tapping lightly against his jeans. Each loud twang of the blade rapping against his pants rocked through her body, pulling with it waves of muscle tension. Her eyes widened, following the path of the knife through the air. Its cold tip slid up her cheek, and inched under the gag. She flinched when the knife jerked away, slicing through the stale tasting cloth clinging to her dry lips.

Mac tugged the cut cloth from her face, his dirt encrusted nail scraping her skin. The knuckle of his middle finger pressed painfully into the bruise on her cheek. Kari recoiled at the pressure, an unbidden wince escaping her numb mouth. He caught her jaw in his free hand, the jagged corners of his nails digging into her cheeks, tugging her face closer.

"Do not," he said softly. "Pull away from me." His breath brushed over her face, the sour smell of his rotted front teeth flooding her nose. She twisted her head, trying to shake off his grip. Kari knew she'd made a mistake, watching the deadpan expression pass slowly over her face. The cold line of the knife pressed firmly against the unbruised side of her face, its tip just under her eye. He laid his other hand against her bruise, and pushed the pad of his thumb into the tender flesh.

Pain radiated throughout her cheek. She looked up into his face, as her jaw began to throb, searching for a way to get him to stop. Or at least for a hint of when he might. Mac's thumb dug further into her cheek. Kari blinked rapidly at the pulsing ache penetrating deep into her jaw. Her tongue flicked out, running along the length of her lips.

"Please," she croaked out.

His face softened into a small smile. "Please what?"

"Please stop."

"Why should I?"

"I'm sorry. I won't do pull away again." Kari pleaded, frantically wanting the knife from her face. The hunting knife dragged lightly down her cheek, sliding over her jaw line until it came to a rest across her throat. She jerked back involuntarily, instantly regretting the reflex.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Please. I'm sorry."

Kari gasped as the blade's edge slid into the skin above her collar-bone, and slid up over the length of her neck. Tears poured down her cheeks, mixing with the blood that spilled from her neck.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** Crap I'm busy. Thank you Thank you Thank you for reading and reviewing. It makes me blush. Sorry about the confusion in regards to the action sequence. Mac was the one knocked out with a shovel, by the stringy haired gross dude who I did not name (he's Rick in the movie). It was just a drug/testosterone issue between those two. Oh yea. My warning is now starting to become justified. **AN**

"You're bleeding out."

Mac's fingers brushed the blood oozing out of her wound. His looming form wavered in her increasingly glossy vision. Kari's lips parted, letting out a soft groan. The wet hot river of blood tickled the nape of her neck, as it joined the sticky puddle under her head.

"Please," she croaked. "Help me."

He stared down at her, the side of his thumb passing over his lower lip. Though her eyes were wide open, her sight was quickly abandoning her to a glittering darkness. A cold deep resounding fear scoured the inside of her chest. Kari focused on Mac's fading figure, determined not to let the darkness consume her. She kept her eyes trained on his face. Her head screamed its frustration at the fading light.

_Please_

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A sharp pinching sensation pushed into the side of her neck, tugging at her skin. Kari coughed at the odd sensation.

"Easy now," she opened her eyes at the sound of Mac's unnervingly soft voice. He was seated next to her on the bed, his rough fingers prodding the wound at her neck.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Making sure the stitches aren't gonna pop out."

Confused, she blinked weakly at him, as he continued to secure the wound at her neck. Nodding in satisfaction, he pulled away from her, gathering a small pile of red stained rags from near her head. Kari passed her dry, sandpaper tongue over her cracked lips.

"So," she coughed, her raspy voice a poor excuse for a method of communication. Interestingly enough she'd learned American Sign Language in girl scouts, but tied wrists and numbed fingers spat in the face of that bit of knowledge. "Why… did you…"

"Save you?"

Her head nodded weakly. Watching her intently, he swiped at his blood coated fingers.

"I don't want to kill you." Her eyebrow twitched at the statement. "I get the feeling that things will be far more interesting with you around."

He paused, picking under his fingernails with a corner of the rag. "That's up to you of course."

Still picking his fingernails, Mac walked through the doorway and out of her line of sight. Kari's wavering breath broke through the smothering empty silence that his disappearance had left. A bubble of hysteria laced with the distinct tang of bile, gurgled at the back of her throat. She was tied to the bed of a psycho, who found her interesting.

_Interesting?!_

Her stomach clenched at the word. The ways he might find her interesting were numerous and none of them boded well for her. A terrible question shattered her train of thought, leaving a metaphysical pile of fragmented sentences. Somewhere a conjunction was on a heart-wrenching journey to complete its function.

_Is it worth trying to survive? _

Though her desire to live continued just as strong as before, she had not considered what would happen before she even found an opportunity to escape. He had her tied to a bed for goodness sake. That in itself implied a pretty terrifying event. Her insides twisted and knotted like spaghetti noodles around a fork. She started to think about that stupid little kiddie pool she was supposed to wade around in. About her useless dorm room and glitching Xbox. Was that life worth the damage that was pretty much a guarantee?

Staring at the ceiling she thought about what she'd planned to do with her life. A couple semesters shy of a master's in English, and a job substitute teaching hardly seemed valuable. She never made it valuable. Her life was nothing more than a series of deadlines and false enthusiasm. When it came down to it, she was just a bunch of wasted potential. A lonely waste who frequented life's unrequited love bar. Fantastic.

Kari slammed her head into the pillow again in frustration. Pain bounced up her throat, pushing a silent scream out of her open mouth.

"Well, that was pretty stupid." Out of the corner of her watering eyes, she saw Mac's broad body heading her way. She blinked quickly, letting loose the unbidden tears and clamping down on any that might follow. He sat down on the bed next to her, catching her jaw lightly in his left hand.

"Like I said earlier," he said softly, staring hard at her face. "I don't want to kill you, but you have to cooperate, otherwise I won't have any choice. Understand?" She stared unblinking at his incredible blue eyes, oddly wishing that he was more disgusting.

_Decision time._

Slowly, Kari's head nodded. A small smirk peaked at the corner of his mouth. He stuck the pad of his thumb between his lips, sucking lightly on the skin. His thumb emerged from his mouth with a soft suction sound. The moist sound reminded her of how dry her lips were. Her teeth unconsciously scraped over the puckered flesh. Mac's hand reached out brushing the glossy pad over her lips. The saliva slicked calluses glided gently tickling. Her mouth opened slightly at the contact. A bitter tang slipped onto her tongue as his thumb continued to pass back and forth over her lips. Her eyelids flickered, half closing, while the memory of the first time that flavor touched her taste buds came rushing back. Her heart pounded in her chest, drumming a torrid beat against her ribs.

"Fuck," she whispered.

His smirk grew into a full-blown smile at her quiet curse. Pulling his hand away, Mac leaned in to replace his thumb with his lips. Her eyes fluttered shut at the contact. Kari whimpered softly against his mouth. His teeth nipped her lower lip, sucking it into his mouth. She pulled against her bonds, leaning further into his kiss. She jumped, pulling away slightly as a pair of hands caught her about the middle and slid up her sides. Mac's hands paused at her ribs, squeezing them painfully. He bit her lip sharply.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked, her lip still caught between his teeth. Kari pressed further into his mouth, flicking her tongue against his teeth. His hands loosened their grip on her ribs, but his teeth increased their pressure on her lip. Unable to stop the pain, her eyes began to water. When the tears began to flow down her cheeks, Mac released her lip, kissing it softly. His warm lips peppered scalding kisses along the wet trails. She shivered as a tingling bolt traveled through her body, and settled between her thighs.

Soft damp locks of hair brushed her cheek as his kisses traveled down to the uninjured side of her throat. Kari's eyes rolled back. Her neck had always been a sensitive spot. Leaning into her neck, his chest brushed against her tightening nipples. Her back arched, pushing her body as close to his as her bonds would let. His teeth sunk into her neck, forcing a yelp from her. His bite tore into her harder, making her shake uncontrollably. She felt his teeth begin to slip under her skin. Fighting to not pull away, her yelps turned to shrieks. Mac's hand traveled over her hips, rubbing her core through her jeans.

Panting loudly, her head span from the incredibly polarized effects on her body. A heated flush spread across her cheeks. His fingers rubbed her faster through their jeans, making her legs tremble. She moved shamelessly against his hand. Soft chuckles lightly popped against her throat. His bite continued its cruel onslaught on her throat. The flood of pain rushed down hitting the delicious agony rising up from her lower half. Sending her flying out of her body.

"Mac!"


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **Ok, so this one will be ridiculously short, but I really wanted this to be a separate chapter. Thanks for the reviews and follows. It'll get back to Kari and Mac in the next one. **AN**

"_Glad to know I'm a lapse in judgment." _

_Despite the sarcastic hostility permeating from each word, Kari felt none of the malice in her heart. Instead her chest constricted around the colder agony from the newly hollow beat of her useless heart. She fumbled through her pockets to make sure, she wouldn't leave anything behind. Nothing took the sincerity out of storming out like having to come back to retrieve a wallet or a phone. _

_Still perched on the edge of his disheveled bed, Mark ran his hand over his collapsed mohawk, frustrated at the dramatic situation he had gotten them into._

"_No, I just need to learn better self-control. I don't want to be that guy anymore."_

_Pausing her meticulous investigation of her own pockets, she turned to look at him. A familiar lump rose into her throat shaking its proverbial fist at her tear glands. Feeling the shameful welling at the corner of her eyes, Kari breathed in sharply through her nose, seeking out a response o refocus her flood of emotions on._

"_Wow," she murmured "I'm actually really hurt. Who knew I had feelings?"_

_Mark hung his head and blew out a heavy breath onto his bare knees. "I'm really sorry Karilynn. I have no justification except to say that I'm an asshole."_

_Unsurprisingly the rhetorical admission did nothing to console her. Swallowing as discreetly as possible, she allowed the blanking indifference to pass through her body, Its cold fingers swept across her blocking the hurt lighting across her face. Kari headed for the door with a delicate calm that surprised her. As her hand grasped the doorknob, she turned her head slightly without looking at him._

"_You make it really hard to be your friend. I'm just gonna go ahead and make myself scarce," Opening the door, she let the cooler air wash over her. _

"_I hope she takes you back," she muttered tossing the last semi-honest sentimentality over her shoulder, before disappearing into the hallway._

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The monotone beeping flowed through the little room, slowing the time with all the effectiveness of watching a grade school clock. Since her arrival three days ago, Kari had not stirred in the hospital bed. Not even the twitching of a finger.

"I'm such an asshole," Mark muttered to himself.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN**: Sorry the last was short, fortunately I followed it up rather quickly, huh? ^_^ We're back to Kari and Mac. Please keep reading and reviewing. I love it. Addicted to it. I expect things to get a bit raunchier, and a whole lot more disturbing. You are warned. **AN**

Mac's hot breath slid along her ear flicking the stray locks of her messy hair against her neck and face. His sleeping form lay sprawled at her side. A thin sheen of sweat covered her skin where his body touched hers. His right arm stretched over her chest, just below her neck. Kari fidgeted, longing to alleviate the tension that had built up in her stiff limbs.

A single sweat droplet slipped behind her ear and trickled down her neck. Her shoulders shimmied sporadically at the tickling sensation, sending Mac's arm bouncing lightly down the front of her body. His fingertips slipped into the tear of her shirt, landing awkwardly on the curve of her left breast. Kari bit her lip as the rough fingertips drew light circular patterns over her skin. A wave of goosebumps prickled across her skin. Silently she scolded her mutinous body.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mac's head lay on its side next to her face. She squinted at him, trying to see if he was awake. His deep even breaths still danced along her neck, and his eyes remained loosely shut. She paused to look at his sleeping face. Without the hardened edges of his conscious expressions, his face took on an incredibly youthful appearance. It was strangely endearing to see him looking strangely vulnerable. Overcome with the urge to trace a hand over his cheek bone, her arm jerked, unconsciously against its ties. A sharp pain bit her wrist as the rope dug into the already ugly, raw flesh.

Huffing, she rolled her torso back and forth, accidentally shifting his arm further down her front. Kari's breath caught in her throat, as she realized she'd knocked his hand down fully onto her breast. She arched her body, trying to coax his hand from its current perch. The limp hand, stiffened, and clamped down firmly on her breast.

"Well, if you insist."

Kari turned her head to the side, meeting Mac's half hooded eyes. She blinked rapidly, flustered under his unexpected focus.

Concerned over the strongly affectionate thoughts that began to enter her mind, she coughed, "I need to go to the bathroom." His hand paused its rhythmic squeezing. The bed bounced lightly as he moved over her, straddling her waist. The hand that had been on her breast clamped down on her neck, pushing into the slowly healing gash.

"Do not try to run," he spoke carefully, his eyes locking on hers. Coughing, she nodded quickly, fighting the urge to wrench her neck from his grasp. His fingers slowly pulled away from her throat, the inside of his fingers speckled with red. Mac leaned over her body to pull at the ropes around her wrists. His dirty t-shirt brushed against her face, giving her a nose full of the purely male scent of musky sweat.

The tension in her shoulders broke unexpectedly, as he pulled her still bound wrists down over her head onto her chest. Kari sighed in relief as she rolled her shoulders to alleviate the ache. Mac climbed off of the bed, and moved towards her tied ankles. Clenching and unclenching her fists, she watched as he carefully untied her ankles. Flexing her sore legs, she stretched on the bed, popping her back in the process. Mac caught hold of the rope that kept her wrists tied to each other. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, he tugged her to her feet. The hours of being tied, to the bed, left her legs as coordinated as a new born colts. Knees buckling under her, she was forced to steady herself on the tension from his tight hold on the rope on her wrists.

Tugging her behind him, Mac led her into the hall. Kari looked about, trying to find anything that would be useful in her escape. Other than a few scattered papers displaying frantically drawn spiders the walls were fairly bare. Not a picture frame or any bit of general decoration in sight. Peering over his shoulders, she squinted at the end of the hall. In the distance, she saw the corner of a rickety old table and chairs.

Mac pulled her through the nearest doorway into the bathroom. Like the rest of the house, dirt and grime coated this room as well. Complete with all the basics: toilet, tub, sink, and cockroaches. Leaning up against the wall sat the old toilet missing its lid. It seemed decent enough around the exterior, but the inside of the bowel was a putridly stained nightmare. Bile burned at the back of her tongue, as she stared at the disgusting display. Kari had never been a big neat freak, but at least the chaos of books, papers, and the occasional sock wasn't unsanitary. Not to mention the fact that she had always kept her bathroom spotless. This was almost as bad as an outhouse.

Turning her eyes away before she threw up on the dilapidated porcelain thrown. A dirt encrusted sink hung precariously on the wall next to her, its center a hypnotic swirl of brown sediment. Streaks of a dark brownish red was smeared across the hot and cold levers. Her entire body clamped up in fear, at the ominous looking stains. She hobbled over to the window over the toilet, running her fingers over it to seek out a latch. Her nail scraped over a little copper clad. Prying open the clasp, she shimmied the window up as quietly as she could. A quarter of the way up the window jammed, refusing to budge any further. Kari wiggled the window trying desperately to coax it along. Holding her breath, she stepped up on top of the toilet seat, searching for the problem. Hammered into the frame were several thick nails, blocking the window from opening all the way.

Sighing she laid her forehead against the dusty window. Ferocious barking burst through the air, bouncing wildly off the little bathroom wall. Two rows of sharp teeth snapped wildly at her through through partially open window. Shocked by the thunderous noise erupting from the froth mouthed monster of a dog in the window, Kari slipped. Her right foot landed squarely in through dirty toilet. Her frightened shriek rose above the barking, as she fell backwards, landing hind-end first into the tub. Pain ricocheted through her right leg, as her toes got caught in the toilet, wrenching her leg awkwardly.

The door swung open revealing an irate looking Mac. Tugging her foot out of the toilet, Kari curled up in the tub terrified at what he might do. He turned is anger stare from her cowering figure to the dog still barking in the window.

"Shut up!" he shouted at the dog. The huge dog let out a pitiful whine and disappeared from the window. She mysteriously forgot how to breathe as his head began to turn back to her. Hands at his side, he stared down at her, a dark shadow filled his eyes deepening their blue hue to that of the shadowed waters in caves at the ocean's bottom. Kari made herself as small as possible, scooching into the corner of the tub. His hand shot out grabbing her by the hair, and dragging her out of the bathroom. Screaming in pain, she wrenched at his grip. Her kicking legs smacked into door framed and walls as he dragged her through the house.

Mac slammed through a door and tossed her onto the hard ground. Coughing in a cloud of dust that had kicked up from her recent introduction to the ground, Kari struggled to get to her knees. A cold harsh spray barreled into her side, knocking her over. Blinking under a barge of stray water droplets, she peered through mostly closed eyes at where Mac stood, aiming a hose at her. The nozzle, aimed directly at her face, let loose a jet of water spraying into her nose and mouth.

Drowning in the focused stream, she coughed out, "Stop!"

"No."

He walked closer to her rolling her onto her back with his foot. His heavy boot came down firmly on her chest, pinning her to the ground. Mac pointed the hose square at art face, and opened it up to full power. Water burst into her face, flooding her nose, mouth, and eyes. Coughing and gagging, she turned her head from side to side, trying to pull in a single breath of air that wasn't water laden. When her vision began to dim, the water turned off, leaving her gasping and hiccupping with water and spit trickling from her mouth.

The boot lifted from her chest, alleviating another source of her pain. Blinking through water drops on her eyelashes, Kari caught sight of Mac reaching for her. She braced herself for whatever punishment he had in store. His hand wrapped itself in the tatters of her shirt and ripped it off of art body. Her body jerked upward as he tore at her bra, yanking it down off of her shoulders. The light breeze blew gently over her exposed skin. Instinctively she pulled her arms up shielding her vulnerability, only to be gifted with another hard spray directly to the face.

Coughing violently, she forced her arms back down. The water slowed to a trickle, dripping on her forehead. Blinking away the lingering puddles on her face, Kari shivered under the passive assault of the cooling air. Mac's hands brushed over the button of her jeans, prying open the zipper, and tearing them down her legs. Just as she blinked out the final watery hindrance from her eyes, he flipped her back onto her stomach.

Pushing up onto her hands and knees, she began dry heaving and spitting out mouthfulls of water. A shock of cold water sprayed down her back splashing along her shoulders. Little freezing rivers ran down her sides, tickling the tender flesh below the curve of her breasts and along her stomach. Kari jumped, feeling the back if Man's knuckles drag along the slick skin of her spine and slide to her hips.

Rough fingers hooked under the band of her underwear, tugging it down over her butt to fall into the mud at her knees. Nudging her thighs apart with the toe of his boot, Mac pushed his body between her legs. The scratchy fabric of his jeans brushed against her butt, rubbing a large intimidating bulge against her. A rush of warmth pooled into the center of her body, giving her a whole new reason to shiver.

_Damn it!_

She cursed herself silently as the mere sound of him unbuckling his pants made her wet. Distracted momentarily by her own self-hatred, she gasped in surprise as a hot hardened length pressed against her core. Rocking his hips against her, Mac stroked her clit and driving her into a whimpering frenzy. His hand sank into her hair, gasping a handful of her damp locks. Kari's head was wrenched back until her spine arched back as far as it could go. Holding her gaze with his blue ice chip eyes, Mac pushed into her body, smacking his hips into hers. Not giving her body any time to adjust to his overbearing size, he slammed into her painfully. A loud cry tore from her lips at the intense invasion.

His arm snaked about her, tightening around her neck. Letting go of her hair, he tightened the arm around her throat, until only raspy breathes escaped her lips. Stars pricking at her the corners of her vision, Kari's head began to drop forward. A sharp smack caught her across the side of the face.

"Stay awake," he growled into her ear.

She blinked rapidly, struggling against the urge to sleep. Mac's free hand drifted over the front of her body, rubbing her in time with his thrusts. Kari's body shuddered at the overwhelming rush of sensation. She could feel Mac's own passion reaching the boiling point behind her. Releasing her neck, he wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer against his body. Feeling his hot breath coming out in small gasps against her ear, as he spilled into her sent her over the edge. Her nails sinking into his forearm, Kari screamed until her voice cracked.

Leaning back onto his knees, still wrapped about her, Mac began chuckling softly in her ear. "You're making me love you."


	10. Chapter 10

It itched terribly. Black and blue bruises had begun to make their appearance all over her body The skin on her knees turned from a bright pink flush marred with grains of sand and bits of small rocks to an angry red, cracked and bleeding. Deep teeth indentations marked her all about the shoulders. Her muscles ached from prolonged tension. Her nose still burned from the water. Her body shook as hunger began to take its toll on her, leaving her in a gentle delirium. In spite of all these agonizing symptoms, all she could think about was how much the jumpsuit itched. She looked down at the little name patch above the breast pocket.

_Mac_

The flesh on the inside of her thighs tingled at the thought of his name. Rubbing her thighs together, she sought through the dizziness to stifle the growing desire creeping through her. Kari hadn't seen him since taken her to bed the evening before. Most of her clothes, being shredded or soaked, he'd wrapped her up in one of his jumpsuits. Her limp body had been understandably passive to being reattached to the bed frame. Surprisingly he had left her ankles free. Thoroughly exhausted, she'd quickly drifted off to sleep with a warm weight resting heavily on her chest. Mac had already left by the time she awoke.

There was no clock in the room, forcing her to guess the time by the position of the rays of the sun slipping through the blinds. Which, given the limited light source and her lazy technology dependent lifestyle, was reduced to morning, noon-ish, and night. At some point time between noon-ish and night, her stomach had started to rumble, reminding her that she had not eaten since the morning Mac had caught her. He'd only allowed her water. Looking at recent experiences, she wasn't a big fan of water anymore.

With the beginning signs of hallucinations from hunger imminent, mind-over-matter wasn't much of an option. Kari's head rolled back on to the pillow. Bright stars pricked across her vision, blending together to form little sparkling curls swimming before her eyes. She hoped these hallucinations were solely the result of her malnutrition and not the start of a consuming madness. The measurable time that had passed since waking was taking its toll on her mind. She felt oddly lonely in the little room. Laying there with nothing to pass the time was dangerous to her already troubled state of mind. She needed some sort of distraction to drive away the irrational flow of twisted logic threatening her. At that point in time, she even wanted Mac to come back. It was better than dealing with the civil war of her thoughts.

A bubbly giggle skipped passed her lips. She would go crazy and be reduced to rocking in a corner with a straight jacket on, blowing raspberries at the ceiling. Or possibly be a Stockholm syndrome statistic and end up serving breakfast in bed while connected to an old-fashioned shackle.

Her eyes blinked heavily. Perhaps sleep was a good idea. She could hibernate like a bear, and pass the worst of her solitary confinement in her own dreams. Letting her eyelids drift down slowly to blink again, she decided the effort to lift them was not worth it and let the peace of sleep take her…

A loud creak echoed through the silent room, making her jump out of her sleeping state. Kari opened her eyes and squinted through the hazy fog. In stepped Mac, clutching a plastic bag at his side. The deep alluring smell of cooked meat and grease wafted through the room, calling to her rapidly deteriorating insides. Her stomach growled in joyful answer. She could almost see the obnoxious sound rumbling over her skin with a cartoon like quality. She watched as he walked to the side of the bed and set the bag on the bed next to her rumbling tummy. Heat radiated from the bag warming the left side of her torso. Her eyes focused slowly on the bag, hoping that its contents would at least be shared with her.

A sudden shift in the bed drew her attention back to Mac. He was sitting on the bed with his left leg propped up on the bed, as he dug through the bag. The familiar squeak of Styrofoam creaked through the rustling of the bag. Kari shifted around, trying to pull herself up as much as possible. Putting her tied arms between herself and Mac, she dragged herself to a sitting position.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, as he pulled the contents from the bag. Kari stared at the Styrofoam box. Stamped into it was the generic symbol of the happy face with a 'Thank you' underneath it. He laid to the left of the container a little plastic fork and napkin in wrapping. She swallowed audible, the smell of food setting her salivary glands to overtime. Mac's hand caught her chin roughly between his index finger and thumb, refocusing her attention to him.

"Did. You. Miss. Me." He asked again. Pulling her eyes away from the food, Kari locked eyes with Mac. Their cold blue irises a stark contrast to the growing heat in her face. The tip of his index finger brushed at the corner of her mouth, sending a welcomed shiver through her. She looked out of the corner of her eye to where his hand held her face. Unable to see his hand holding her face, she turned her gaze back to his face. She felt herself cracking against the hard edges of his unwavering stare.

Twisting her head slightly, she rubbed her face against the fingers that gripped her jaw painfully. The hold on her chin loosened a degree, giving her more room to move inside its enclosure. Kari moved her lower jaw until his finger brushed the corner of her mouth. Turning her head side to side, she slid her lip along the finger, letting herself enjoy the contact. The forgotten container on the bed squeaked, as Mac climbed onto the bed.

Sitting up with his legs under him, Mac pulled her legs over his thighs until her body arched into his with her head against the frame behind her. His fingers caught the zipper at the top of the jumpsuit and yanked down. The itchy clothing spilled open around her torso. His hands pushed into the opening, gripping the two sections and jerking violently until it split past the zipper's end. Kari watched his hands jump to his own clothes and tear open his jeans. His body bearing down on her, he caught her lips with his. She moaned into his mouth, as his tongue stroke hers. His hands slid under her butt, adjusting her body.

Her lips tore from his to let out a scream when he pushed into her. Pulling on her binds she used the leverage to wrap her legs tighter around his hips. Her head bounced against the bed frame with every frantic thrust. Ignoring the painful knot building at the top back of her head, she leaned up desperate for his mouth. Smug muffled laughter rippled softly between her breathless groaning. Her eyes rolled back into her head as her growing pleasure climbed to a painful peak. One of his hands traveled up her back to cradle the back of her head. Unable to pull her head away from his kiss, she cried out against his lips.

Her body bounced limply against his as he followed her into ecstasy, pouring hot splashes inside her. Letting her slid fully onto the bed, he tucked his head into her shoulder. His hand grabbed her throat, oddly gentle compared to before.

"Answer the question," Mac's hot breath tickled along her neck.

"Yes," she admitted softly. "I missed you."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: **Thank you to all those who have read to and followed. It is always appreciated. We're almost done with the story! And when I say almost done I mean this is the second to last chapter. **AN**

_Kari stared angrily at the picture message that had popped up in her phone. He would find a way to ruin her day. Now she got to hate Christmas as well .She already couldn't stomach many of her former extra-curricular activities. At least for the time being. Now she got to hate Christmas._

Asshole.

_Staring at her full bowl of raisin bran she felt her stomach turn. Kari grabbed her tray angrily and dropped it onto the conveyor belt. She hated wasting the food, but she had such a temperamental stomach. Depression killed her appetite. Rather it didn't so much kill her appetite as it sent her stomach into a pissy-fit. She would still be hungry, but the second the food hit her stomach it immediately back-tracked up her esophagus for a second appearance. Stalking out of the dinning commons, she pulled her phone back out of her jacket pocket to glare at it again._

_Three months had passed since she last talked to Mark. She kept her word about making herself scarce. The feeling had seemed mutual until the bloody day before Christmas. Then out of the blue ping, a picture message. She'd opened it without thinking to see a picture of a little glass snowman tree ornament. It was a Christmas present she'd given him in high school. The memory sent her into a foul mood. _

Fucking. Asshole.

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Kari patted her wrists gingerly. The skin had turned an ugly shade of rotted purple from the ropes. Patches of skin had nearly been rubbed off completely, leaving raw and cracked spots that bleed at the slightest prod. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she rolled her shoulders to alleviate the ache that had persisted for the duration of her captivity.

Tugging the torn jumpsuit back on to her shoulders where it hung open, the broken zipper dangling pitifully off of the cloth. As she sunk her teeth into the apple that Mac had left for her, Kari swung her legs over the side of the bed in an effort to get up. The movement sent an object tumbling out of the pocket of her clothes and onto the bed. Reaching out, she snatched up the little metal case Mac had stolen from her in their first encounter.

She flipped the little case over in her hands. The back of the case carried vicious scratches. Beneath one of the scratches she caught a hint of the engraving that had been there before.

_Lo.. ou... ways._

Kari set the apple down on the dresser, and stared at the case. Brushing her thumb over the indentations, she swallowed the lump in her throat down to join the sinking feeling in her gut. She looked down at her torn borrowed clothes. Unable to be zippered shut, it left her front bare from her neck to the middle of her thighs. She pulled the two flaps together, trying in vain to cover up her more delicate parts.

Her head yanked back, slamming hard into the mattress beneath her. Yelping in surprise, Kari looked up to see Mac's hand deep in her hair. Burning her with a seething glare, he dragged her off of the bed. She landed with a painful thump on the hard wooden floor. Her bones throbbed as she was pulled along the floor, bouncing over the occasional off set plank. A rogue nail sticking out of the corner of the door frame dug into the side of her thigh, scraping her through the worn fabric of the jumpsuit.

Kari grabbed Mac's wrist to ease some of the strain on her tender scalp. Overcome with shock and pain, she could not even cry out; her voice dieing pitifully in her throat. Terrified at the sudden display of rage, Kari shook violently. A door swung open behind her, slamming into the wall with such a furious crack that the door knob smashed clean through the wall leaving a round hole. Mac threw her into the apparent closet. Her head banged into the wall. She blinked as bright stars twinkled before her glossy eyes. Kari's limbs flung about the tiny room, as he ripped his clothing from her body.

Her arms were dragged behind her back, and tied roughly with another rope. A second rope snaked about her throat wrapping tightly around the already thoroughly damaged flesh. The two separate binds attached by another rope which was strung up over her head to the wooden pole suspended across the length of the closet. Her lips parted apprehensively, prepared to plead for some bit of mercy. The scathing look he gave her sent chills through her constricted chest, but it was the sudden and brief look of betrayal behind the rage that burned hottest in her chest. Mac spun her around on the ties to face him, the skin on her knees pulling painfully over the wooden floor.

"I like to think I can be a patient man," he spoke softly to her. "Especially if there is something worth waiting for."

Constricted whimpers were only response. His hand held her rope, keeping her from turning away from him. Consequently the length of his arm passed near her head. Pitifully, she leaned her face against his arm. He tolerated this contact for only a short while, before pulling away. The abrupt lack of his support, pitched her body forward, applying the majority of her weight onto her neck. Air jolted from her body at the sudden constriction, sending her into a fit of coughing gasps. Unconsciously she managed to adjust her knees and stop her own suffocation.

"As I said," he started again. "I am a patient man, but time is running out, darling." He paused to fish something out of his back pocket. The little metal case appeared before her face, and was flung to her knees.

"Make your choice."

The door closed plunging her into an engulfing darkness.

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Mark's head bobbed slowly in the quiet little room. He had grown completely used to the perpetual beeping of the machines keeping his comatose friend alive. His eyelids closed heavily over blood shot eyes, as his head hung over his chest. Over the sound of his soft snores, the beeping faltered. It turned to a single harsh toned screech, bouncing off the walls, and shaking Mark to his feet. He looked in terror at the single line on the little monitor, before rushing into the hall for help.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN**: Well, last chapter! Thank you for all your reviews and follows. It is crazy to me that ya'll have consistently followed my little adventure with Mac. I hope it was highly entertaining. Thank you to **gurl3677 **for helping me with Kari's choice. THANK YOU GUYS! ENJOY! **AN**

The nurses had kicked him out of the room, but they couldn't kick him out of the hospital. Once again within four days, Mark found himself pacing the hospital hallway, terrified at the prospects of what could happen on the other side of the plain wooden door.

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sheriff Pratt watched Mac sitting, somewhat hunched, on the edge of the little cot, noting the twitching fingers that gripped the edge of the bed.

"What's the matter Mac?" he asked gruffly, tapping the keys on his computer lightly. Mac straightened, looking him square in the face. His blue eyes shinned with a disturbing clarity. The corner of his mouth curled into a knowing grin.

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Quickly reaching the three mile marker in his stress induced marathon, Mark massaged the back of his neck anxiously. Dropping down into a squatting position near the door, he leaned back against the wall. His heart dropped low into his gut as an ear piercing shriek erupted through the little room.

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Kari's eyes snapped open, gifting her with a blinding light over her head. Surrounding her were several shadows hovering over where she lay and reaching out with blurry shadowed limbs. She inhaled deeply, preparing to scream, only to find strange plastic objects in her throat and nose that hindered her breathing. Her throat convulsed violently around the hard tube in her throat. Hands flailing about, she grabbed the plastic object protruding from her throat; her nails scrapping at the tape that covered her cheek.

The shadows reached out, wrapping about her arms with very cold, very human fingers. Wrenching and twisting frantically, she freed a hand and grabbed the object again. Her throat burned as she snaked the tube out of her throat, gagging and coughing the entire time. Gasping loudly when the last inch of the plastic tubing burst free of her mouth. Another shadow snagged her hand, pushing it down to her side.

Screaming in frustration at the restraint, she thrashed about, kicking and swinging at the shadows. Muffled voices reached her ear. Blinking through the blaze, she watched the shadows take on colors and more definite details. Instead of giant blobs of a grayish tint, colorful clothing and lab coats swirled into view until she could deduce what the forms were. A barrage of doctors and nurses were hovering over her, their lips moving rapidly at her.

Calming her shaking body, Kari stared suspiciously at the medical professionals still trying to hold her down. Her wrists and forearms burned, dragging her attention to her arms. Several pairs of hands had pinned both of her arms down to her sides.

"Hey assholes," she barked, her own voice sounding strangely distant. "You know I have injuries there right?!" Several of the hands' grips faltered at the observation. One pair of hand still clung firmly to her left arm, pushing it down snuggly.

"Are you going to calm down?" The stern voice no doubt accompanied the one pair of hands that maintained their firm grip.

"Yes," she grimaced. "I'm calm. Now, let the hell go. That hurts!"

The hands thankfully left her arms. A short woman to her left proceeded to check her vital signs, beginning with shinning a spiteful light into her eyes. Squinting, she poked the tube still protruding from her nose.

"Please leave that alone," the doctor said sternly. She continued her assessment of Kari's health, glancing at the machines and comparing the information with that on her chart. A loud bang interrupted the doctor's progress. They turned in unified confusion at the noise. Looking terribly frantic and disheveled, Mark stood in the door frame.

He looked even more terrible than when she last saw him. His messy hair, normally a bright medium brown, had taken on a mousey hue. The Mohawk had long since collapsed against his skull. Dark rings encircled his blood shot eyes. The clothes hanging on his body were terribly disheveled, wrinkled and shaggy beyond recognition.

"Kari," he breathed half whispering her name. "You're awake? How do you feel?"

She didn't answer, choosing instead to just stare at the disheveled mess that he was. Cocking her head at him, she took in the picture he presented. Misery seemed to have been his bed mate for the past few days. Mark's brow crinkled at her continued silence and intense stare.

"Um, Doc, could we get a minute?" he asked. Bristling at the interruption to her work, she glared at the two of them.

"Make it quick," she said stiffly and left the room. Mark walked to the side of her bed, reaching out to take her hand.

"I am so sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have let you be the one to stay behind." His head fell at the statement. Kari still didn't answer, choosing rather to continue to stare at him in that inquisitive way. His warm soft fingers closed about hers, as he tried to coax a response from her.

"Kari?" he asked. "Will you talk to me please?" Her unmoving head still held its dead-pan face. Beneath his fingertips, her skin felt as icy as it had for the past four days.

"Kari," he said again. "I know, I could never possibly understand what you suffered. What that psycho did to you, but I want to help you. However I can. Whatever I can do. I know we haven't always had an easy relationship, but I do love you. You are my friend"

Her eye twitched, as she continued to stare. Slowly her hand pulled from his, floating through the air to his face. Her palm brushed softly against his cheek. Her eyes searched through his, taking in every possible hint his gaze might give her. Kari's hand pulled away from his face, but rather than dropping it back to her side; it clenched tightly and swung back toward him. Her knuckles struck him in the jaw, knocking him to the floor.

"Ow!" he cried out, as he landed on the tile. "What was that for?!" Kari threw the blankets off her body, letting them slide into a pile at the foot of the bed. Another tube emerged from her gown and traveled over the side of the bed. Second guessing her desire to stand up, she decided to not risk pulling anything that might proof painful.

She turned to him, her formerly passive face twisting in anger. "I'm your friend? Really? In the decade that we have known each other you have rarely been a friend to me that did not require some sort of payment in return. You and I both know, you always plan for your optimum satisfaction regardless of the price." Her eyes flashed with blatant hostility as in her mind passed every time they had stopped talking, and what brought him back into her world.

Mark stared up at her, rubbing the side of his face. She had been rough with him before, but never in an anger fueled way. He'd had no idea that her left hook was that painful.

"I am so tired of you sitting there using me for my worst qualities," she snapped. "Qualities that we share by the way. Then when someone comes around who doesn't approve of your tastes and habits, (the real you) you have the audacity to not only condemn me, but blame me for your own choices."

"I didn't blame…"

"Bull shit!" she shouted at him, her rant reaching a boiling point. "You dropped me as a friend for the longest time, because you couldn't control yourself, Mark. I am a reactor. We both know this. I never overstep my boundaries, because though I may not have been able to wrap my head around putting all my faith and trust in a person, but I respect those who can." Kari's eyes grew bright with the gleam of unshed tears. Her heart beat loudly against her rib cage. Despite her fragile disposition and venom laced person, she felt a strange lifting sensation in her shoulders. Her back straightened as she let fly all the years of hostility she had chosen to ignore in the past.

"I loved you," she said, her rage lessening from its initial appearance as a busted dam to a trickle. "I tried to make sure I never judged you. Apparently the perspective was not returned. I am too tired to be your friend anymore. I never want to see or hear from you again."

The door to the little room opened abruptly. In stepped an officer, followed closely by the doctor who had left earlier.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking from Kari to Mark who was still sprawled on the floor.

"Nothing," Kari said quickly, turning instead to the officer at her side. "Where's Mac?"

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The phone sitting at the corner of his desk burst into an ear splitting ring. Sighing loudly, Sheriff Pratt dropped the roast beef sandwich back onto its wrapping and brushed the crumbs from his hands.

"This is Pratt," he said into the receiver, spewing bits of the sandwich onto the mouthpiece. His brow furrowed at the response. "How is she doing? Well I don't think that… No. What did the doctor say?" He stared out of the corner of his eye at Mac still sitting on the edge of the cot. Turning his back to the cell, he turned his attention back to the phone.

"Well," he concluded. "If the doctor gives her the go-ahead, and she is up for it, then bring her."

Sitting peacefully in his cell, Mac's smile grew in anticipation of the coming visit.

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Kari bounced along in her seat as Deputy Harley drove her to the sheriff's office. She tried to hide how much her body ached so they wouldn't try and convince her to go back. She wasn't dieing. She sat with a strange calm in the passenger seat of the squad car, waiting.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes," she answered. For the duration of the trip she'd kept her answers short and sweet. She wasn't at all interested in this journey, just the destination. Far out on the horizon arose the little building sitting squat amongst two other cop cars. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the distant building, knowing who was there expecting her. They pulled into the parking lot. Harley had barely brought the car to a complete stop, before she was unbuckling her seat belt and reaching for the door handle to get out of the car. Limping slightly, she headed directly for the building. Behind her Harley scurried to catch up with her before she entered the station.

Her limp hindering her progression made it easier for Harley to catch up to her at the front door. Remembering his manners, he reached in front of her, tugging the door open for her. Kari smiled briefly at him, then made her way into the police station to find where they were keeping him. Sitting at a desk was a portly looking man eating a sandwich.

"Sheriff Pratt, this is Kari," Harley called from behind her. The portly man stood, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"How are you doing, ma'am?" Pratt asked, as he came around to shake her hand.

"I'm good," she answered. "Where is her?"

Pratt stopped, staring hard at her. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "Please, where is he?" Taking a deep breath, Pratt motioned for her to follow him. They walked back around a wall to a hallway. She could see the cells lined up against the far wall. Sitting rather smugly in the first cell was Mac. Looking through the bars at his incredibly blue eyes that were fixed solely on her stunned the air from her lungs. As she approached the bars, Mac stood from the cot. Vaguely Kari heard the voices of the sheriff and deputy warning her to not get too close. She disregarded the warnings whole heartedly.

Mac reached the bars, grabbing them lightly with his hands. He cocked his head at her, waiting for her to speak. Words failing her, she wrapped her hands lightly over his.

"Miss please don't touch him."

Pushing her hand through the bars, she cupped his cheek, pulling his face up against the bars.

"I've made my choice," she murmured, claiming his lips between the bars.

**AN:** This song wouldn't stop playing in my head while I wrote this last bit. Hope ya'll liked it!

"Well, I've heard that the devil's walking around  
I sold my soul way down in the dirt  
But stole it back and forever in debt

And for a moment I don't even care  
Until I feel his breath at my neck  
And maybe even you can feel it too  
He's on a strike and looking at you

Holding onto his words, but baby  
I saw an angel become the devil  
Still they look pretty good hand in hand  
Well baby, I don't need any of them  
Heaven nor hell"

**Heaven Nor Hell by Volbeat**


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